A comprehensive report on a Parirenyatwa Hospital maternal mortality case which was reported in the media recently will be out next week as part of Government’s efforts to give closure to the grieving family.
By Kudakwashe Pembere
Speaking to HealthTimes during a presentation of the initial findings on the death of one Sharon Munyonho on Friday, Health and Child Care Minister Dr Obadiah Moyo represented by his Permanent Secretary Dr Agnes Mahomva said all they had were initial findings.
I am not too sure about the pathology report but the preliminary report is already there and we are calling it preliminary because we had had the chance to look at it and ask questions if they covered all areas that need to be covered,” he said.
The Minister added that by expect to be in possession of the full report next week.
“But it should be ready really anytime, I would imagine in the next week we should have it,” he said.
He said the procedures taken after a maternal death are to institute an investigation team with 24 hours.
[pullquote]“When we have a maternal death in the system our routine process is such that we do constitute an investigating team committee that immediately looks into it between the 24 hours and they conclude their findings moving forward. They even refer it to the medical and dental practitioners council to ensure that whatever their findings are, they are confirmed. [/pullquote]
“And if there is anything else that needs to be done, that council will make sure that it happens. So we are actually saying to the family, our very sincere condolences and apologies. This really is a sad day for us and for them. We feel them I would to encourage them and assure them that everything that needs to be done has been done,” he said.
He added that they will continue making sure that the report is finalised and shared.
“And that if they want to have any other investigator coming in to look into it, we are more than happy to accommodate so that indeed they can have the closure,” said the Minister.
Leading the investigation of this maternal death which circulated in the press and social media, Harare Hospital Consultant surgeon Mr Maximilan Dzowa explained the events leading up to her death.
He said the woman named Sharon Munyonho came from a Dzivarasekwa clinic to the central hospital where they had to induce her. She arrived at Parirenyatwa on the August 30. As per standard operating procedures that a woman upon induced needs a routine check every four hours. But seeing her condition, the midwife according to Mr Dzowa checked on her on a two hourly basis.
“This continued until around 2 am the next day where she progressed to a state of labour which we call active labour. Once a patient is in active labour she is transport to the labour ward. This was done. She was taken to a floor below that is the labour ward. On reaching the labour ward, she was seen by a midwife who asked her to sit on a bench while she was attending on a bleeding patient who was already in the labour ward. She was asked to sit on a bench with already six patients waiting for beds in the labour ward.
“The ward has a ten bed capacity and the woman became the 17th patient in the labour ward. For you to be in the labour ward you must be in active labour which means you must be having contractions every 10 minutes. From 2 am to 4 am no space could be found for Ms Munyon’o and she remained basically on that bench. During this time, midwives were delivering patients who had receded her in the labour ward.
It was so busy that two of the four doctors had to assist with delivery in that period. The third doctor was attending to new admissions coming in to Mbuya Nehanda from various areas around the city and around the country. The fourth doctor was running around getting blood for a Mutare patient with life threatening issue needing to go to theatre. Those two doctors assisting six midwives in the labour ward left around four to then to the emergency case.
“So at around 6 am that’s when some space was created for Munyonho. She walked and was assisted to her bed by a midwife. Upon placing her on the bed, it was noticed that she was in distress. She immediately left to get some fetoscope to check on her foetus.
We came back and found that Mrs Munyonho was no longer responsive. A call for help was done of which the rest of the team came to assist. Attempts to resuscitate her were unfortunately unsuccessful. This about concludes what we know at the present moment from what we gathered,”he said.
The head of the Obstetrics and Gynaecology Division at Mbuya Nehanda Maternity Hospital Dr Tafadzwa Nhemachena said the hospital still needed to be upgraded to suit the demands of the growing population.
